Mr Andrews, Stop the East-West Link Now

YCAT calls on opposition leader Daniel Andrews to use his unique position in the parliament to kill off the loathed East-West Link.

The State budget can now only be passed with the support of the Opposition. Mr Andrews has given a commitment to pass it. The budget provisions for the East-West link will put Victorians in debt and disarray to pay for a project Mr Andrews has called a dog.

At the same time he has given comfort to the road lobby and investment banks by saying he would honour any contracts signed. Mr. Andrews, you have the opportunity to kill this project now, by making your support of the budget conditional that the East West link be deferred to an election and demand the release of the business case.

Victorians are wondering whether the Labor party really supports this project but doesn’t want the opprobrium of being held responsible for it. Now the opposition has shared responsibility for the continuance of this mad scheme.

We commend Mr. Andrews for acting like a statesman, and putting the interest of Victorians ahead of party political gain. The Liberal government would no doubt also be relieved to have this unpopular, rushed and badly conceived project taken out of their hands.

At least let Victorians vote on it and save the exit fees from rushed contracts.

From Adam Bandt: BREAKING NEWS: Victorian Labor leader Daniel Andrews is set to back the East-West toll road. Sign the Greens’ petition now to ensure this doesn’t happen.

With the Victorian parliament in disarray, the Napthine government is relying on Labor to pass their budget. Victorian Labor leader Daniel Andrews has indicated that Labor will give its support, meaning Labor is set to back the East-West toll road.

What happens over the next few days could determine whether the East-West toll road is built.

The Liberal Premier, Denis Napthine, said today “Mr Andrews has now committed for the first time to support the budget, despite previous statements opposing East West Link … Accordingly, when Parliament resumes next week, the Government will move to complete debate and pass the budget, so that work can proceed”.

However, there is another way.

Labor could put a condition on its support for the Liberals and demand the toll road contracts not be signed before the election.

That way, the toll road wouldn’t proceed and there would be more money available to invest in clean, fast and efficient public transport.

We need to put pressure on Labor to take a stand.

You have stood with us to fight the East-West toll road each step of the way. Let’s now demand Labor leader Daniel Andrews use his new found power to stand up to Tony Abbott and the Victorian government and stop the East-West toll road.

Thanks YCAT for drawing this to my attention.
I just had a chat to Richard Wynne, my local MP about this issue. It is the third time I have spoken to him about my concerns about the East West Link.
Earlier this year I had a face to face meeting to discuss EWL, the move on laws, and the restrictions on wind farm development. Then in April I spoke to Mr Wynne on the phone after attending the Rescinding the Contracts forum.
While I do not consider any of these conversations to have been terribly productive, they have certainly given me a much clearer opinion of Mr Wynne. I have absolutely no confidence in his, or his party’s, willingness and capacity to stand up to the government on this issue. There seems to be a significant gap between what the Labor party says, and what is actually does.
I feel very frustrated and angry by the erosion of democracy that we are witnessing in this state, and so I have made a very deliberate decision to snatch back my rights as a voter. It is my right to speak to my elected representative in government. And it is your right too.
Get angry, and then get active. Call your local MP and talk to them about what they are doing (versus what they are saying), and don’t allow yourself to be distracted. Mr Wynne tried to sidetrack me by pointing the finger at Adam Bandt, but I informed him that I hadn’t called to talk about the Green’s policy, I was only interested in talking about Labor and what his party intended to do.
Keep fighting the good fight.